Company leaders considered dropping such ads, which are now viewed as a headache

Executives at Facebook and Twitter were grilled during a Senate hearing in September about protecting their platforms from foreign influence. WSJ’s Deepa Seetharaman offers highlights and analysis of the three hour event. Photo: Getty Images (Originally published Sept. 5, 2018)

Facebook Inc. said it stopped paying commissions to employees who sell political ads, as the tech giant overhauls how it engages with campaigns ahead of elections in 2020.

Once seen as a growth area, political ads are now viewed within Facebook as more of a headache, according to former employees and campaign staffers who work on digital strategies. In the wake of revelations about Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, senior leaders at the company debated whether it should cease running political ads entirely,...